May 11

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004

The integral vision embodies an attempt to take the best of both worlds, ancient and modern. But that demands a critical stance willing to reject unflinchingly the worst of both as well. ~ Ken Wilber

• selected by Kalki

2005

When you separate yourself by belief, by nationality, by tradition, it breeds violence. So a man who is trying to understand violence does not belong to any country, to any religion, to any political party or partial system; he is concerned with the total understanding of mankind. ~ J. Krishnamurti (born 11 May 1895)

• selected by Kalki

2006

Positive vibrations man. That's what makes it work. That's reggae music. You can't look away because it's real. You listen to what I sing because I mean what I sing, there's no secret, no big deal. Just honesty, that's all. ~ Bob Marley (died 11 May 1981)

• proposed by JeffQ (author) and Kalki (quote)

2007

The poet in a golden clime was born,
With golden stars above;
Dower'd with the hate of hate, the scorn of scorn,
The love of love.
~ Alfred Tennyson ~

• proposed by Poetlister

2008

Poets say science takes away from the beauty of the stars — mere globs of gas atoms. Nothing is 'mere'. I too can see the stars on a desert night, and feel them. But do I see less or more? The vastness of the heavens stretches my imagination — stuck on this carousel my little eye can catch one-million-year-old light. A vast pattern — of which I am a part... What is the pattern or the meaning or the why? It does not do harm to the mystery to know a little more about it. ~ Richard Feynman (born 11 May 1918)

• proposed by Aphaia

2009

There are all kinds of interesting questions that come from a knowledge of science, which only adds to the excitement and mystery and awe of a flower. It only adds. I don't understand how it subtracts. ~ Richard Feynman

• proposed by Kalki

2010

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled. ~ Richard Feynman

• proposed by Kalki

2011

Silence is difficult and arduous, it is not to be played with. It isn't something that you can experience by reading a book, or by listening to a talk, or by sitting together, or by retiring into a wood or a monastery. I am afraid none of these things will bring about this silence. This silence demands intense psychological work. You have to be burningly aware of your snobbishness, aware of your fears, your anxieties, your sense of guilt. And when you die to all that, then out of that dying comes the beauty of silence. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• proposed by Zarbon

2012

Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there.

~ Richard Feynman ~

• proposed by bystander

2013

The worthwhile problems are the ones you can really solve or help solve, the ones you can really contribute something to. … No problem is too small or too trivial if we can really do something about it.

~ Richard Feynman ~

• proposed by bystander

2014

Conquering evil, not the opponent is the essence of swordsmanship.

~ Yagyū Munenori ~

• proposed by Zarbon

2015

It is easy to kill someone with a slash of a sword. It is hard to be impossible for others to cut down.

~ Yagyū Munenori ~

• proposed by Zarbon

2016

I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path. If you first understand that, then you will see how impossible it is to organize a belief. A belief is purely an individual matter, and you cannot and must not organize it. If you do, it becomes dead, crystallized; it becomes a creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2017

It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2018

As we are — the world is. That is, if we are greedy, envious, competitive, our society will be competitive, envious, greedy, which brings misery and war. The State is what we are. To bring about order and peace, we must begin with ourselves and not with society, not with the State, for the world is ourselves … If we would bring about a sane and happy society we must begin with ourselves and not with another, not outside of ourselves, but with ourselves.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2019

We human beings are what we have been for millions of years — colossally greedy, envious, aggressive, jealous, anxious and despairing, with occasional flashes of joy and affection. We are a strange mixture of hate, fear and gentleness; we are both violence and peace. There has been outward progress from the bullock cart to the jet plane but psychologically the individual has not changed at all, and the structure of society throughout the world has been created by individuals. The outward social structure is the result of the inward psychological structure of our human relationships, for the individual is the result of the total experience, knowledge and conduct of man. Each one of us is the storehouse of all the past. The individual is the human who is all mankind. The whole history of man is written in ourselves.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Zarbon

2020

Wop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bom-bom! Tutti frutti, oh rutti Tutti frutti, woo! Tutti frutti, oh rutti Tutti frutti, oh rutti Tutti frutti, oh rutti Awop-bop-a-loo-mop alop-bom-bom!

~ Little Richard ~

• proposed by Kalki, in regard of his recent death.

2021

Learning in the true sense of the word is possible only in that state of attention, in which there is no outer or inner compulsion. Right thinking can come about only when the mind is not enslaved by tradition and memory. It is attention that allows silence to come upon the mind, which is the opening of the door to creation. That is why attention is of the highest importance. Knowledge is necessary at the functional level as a means of cultivating the mind, and not as an end in itself. We are concerned, not with the development of just one capacity, such as that of a mathematician, or a scientist, or a musician, but with the total development of the student as a human being.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2022

What brings understanding is love. When your heart is full, then you will listen to the teacher, to the beggar, to the laughter of children, to the rainbow, and to the sorrow of man. Under every stone and leaf, that which is eternal exists. But we do not know how to look for it. Our minds and hearts are filled with other things than understanding of "what is". Love and mercy, kindliness and generosity do not cause enmity. When you love, you are very near truth. For, love makes for sensitivity, for vulnerability. That which is sensitive is capable of renewal. Then truth will come into being. It cannot come if your mind and heart are burdened, heavy with ignorance and animosity.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2023

Those who really desire to understand, who are looking to find that which is eternal, without beginning and without an end, will walk together with a greater intensity, will be a danger to everything that is unessential, to unrealities, to shadows. And they will concentrate, they will become the flame, because they understand. Such a body we must create, and that is my purpose. Because of that real understanding there will be true friendship. Because of that true friendship — which you do not seem to know — there will be real cooperation on the part of each one. And this not because of authority, not because of salvation, not because of immolation for a cause, but because you really understand, and hence are capable of living in the eternal.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• proposed by Kalki

2024

Rank or add further suggestions…

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Say you just can't live that negative way
You know what I mean
Make way for the positive day
Cause it's a new day. ~ Bob Marley (died 11 May 1981), "Positive Vibration", Rastaman Vibration (1976)

• 2 Jeff Q (talk) 05:51, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
• 2 ~ I did some quick research, and the writing credits for this are to Vincent Ford, but there are indications that Marley simply gave Ford credit for these and other lyrics. Taking up the suggestion for something by Marley I have found a couple that, while not fully sourced as yet, I find plausible and not likely to become disputed. ~ Kalki 22:04, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
• 2 Aphaia 09:39, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
• 1 Zarbon 05:10, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 22:04, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

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I don't have prejudice against myself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white. ~ Bob Marley (date of death)

• 3 Kalki 22:04, 10 May 2006 (UTC)
• 1 Jeff Q (talk) 23:56, 10 May 2006 (UTC). I'd prefer a less weighty quote.
• 2 Aphaia 09:39, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
• 1 Zarbon 05:10, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 22:04, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

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Dance is the hidden language of the soul ~ Martha Graham (date of birth).

• 3 Aphaia 23:58, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Zarbon 04:05, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

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It is bias to think that the art of war is just for killing people. It is not to kill people, it is to kill evil. It is a stratagem to give life to many people by killing the evil of one person. ~ Yagyū Munenori (date of death, date of birth unknown)

• 3 because there is truly beauty in the art of war. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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See first with your mind, then with your eyes, and finally with your body. ~ Yagyū Munenori

• 3 because the physical strike comes last. It is more important to plan ahead before that attack. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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Once a fight has started, if you get involved in thinking about what to do, you will be cut down by your opponent with the very next blow. ~ Yagyū Munenori

• 3 because there is a time to contemplate and a time to attack and defend. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 3.
• 2 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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There may be a hundred stances and sword positions, but you win with just one. ~ Yagyū Munenori

• 3 because it is the thunderous winning blow that counts. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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If you gaze at a single leaf on a single tree, you do not see the other leaves. If you face the tree with no intention and do not fix your eyes on a single leaf, then you will see all the many leaves. If your mind is preoccupied with one leaf, you do not see the others, if you do not set your attention on one; you will see hundreds and thousands of leaves. ~ Yagyū Munenori

• 3 because one must concentrate on all aspects in order to avoid dogmatism. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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If you have attained mastery of swordlessness, you will never be without a sword. ~ Yagyū Munenori

• 3 because it is imperative for one to train without a weapon just as much in order to survive all predicaments. Zarbon 04:47, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
• 3 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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There's a great and unutterable beauty in all this. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• 2 Zarbon 04:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
• 1 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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The observer is the observed. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• 2 Zarbon 04:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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So, the questioner wants to know why it is that he cannot go beyond all these superficial wrangles of the mind. For the simple reason that, consciously or unconsciously, the mind is always seeking something, and that very search brings violence, competition, the sense of utter dissatisfaction. It is only when the mind is completely still that there is a possibility of touching the deep waters. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• 3 Zarbon 04:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 3, but just for the final sentence.
• 2 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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We are afraid of the known and afraid of the unknown. That is our daily life and in that there is no hope, and therefore every form of philosophy, every form of theological concept, is merely an escape from the actual reality of what is. All outward forms of change brought about by wars, revolutions, reformations, laws and ideologies have failed completely to change the basic nature of man and therefore of society. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• 2 Zarbon 04:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 3.
• 3 InvisibleSun 21:52, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

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Tradition becomes our security, and when the mind is secure it is in decay. ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

• 3 Zarbon 04:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 09:35, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

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It doesn't seem to me that this fantastically marvelous universe, this tremendous range of time and space and different kinds of animals, and all the different planets, and all these atoms with all their motions, and so on, all this complicated thing can merely be a stage so that God can watch human beings struggle for good and evil — which is the view that religion has. The stage is too big for the drama. ~ Richard Feynman

• 3 with a strong lean to 4 bystander (talk) 23:39, 6 May 2012 (UTC)
• 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 12:44, 9 May 2012 (UTC)

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Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely. ~ The Land Before Time

• 3 (Mother's Day 2014) ~ DanielTom (talk) 00:06, 9 April 2014 (UTC)

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He who is on the Path exists not for himself, but for others; he has forgotten himself, in order that he may serve them. He is as a pen in the hand of God, through which His thought may flow, and find for itself an expression down here, which without a pen it could not have. Yet at the same time he is also a living plume of fire, raying out upon the world the Divine Love which fills his heart. The wisdom which enables you to help, the will which directs the wisdom, the love which inspires the will — these are your qualifications. Will, Wisdom and Love are the three aspects of the Logos; and you, who wish to enroll yourselves to serve Him, must show forth these aspects in the world.

~ Jiddu Krishnamurti ~

• 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 11:23, 10 May 2018 (UTC)

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• Get up, get up for shame! The blooming morn
    Upon her wings presents the god unshorn.
    See how Aurora throws her fair
    Fresh-quilted colours through the air:
    Get up, sweet slug-a-bed, and see
    The dew bespangling herb and tree!
  Each flower has wept and bow’d toward the east
  Above an hour since, yet you not drest;
    Nay! not so much as out of bed?
    When all the birds have matins said
    And sung their thankful hymns, ’tis sin,
    Nay, profanation, to keep in,
  Whereas a thousand virgins on this day
  Spring sooner than the lark, to fetch in May. ~ Robert Herrick, Hesperides
  • 4 Ficaia (talk) 08:56, 3 May 2024 (UTC)